alternative fuel camp stoves

I use this

This one is more expensive, but it charges itself and provides a little charge for anything extra.

http://biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/

It works best if you use a 3oz aluminum can - it can be a Fancy Feast cat food can or a Hormel Potted Meat can. I think most tuna cans are steel and steel cans just don't heat up fast enough.

Here's some more info on which cans work best: http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html#Materials:

Yeah, get the fancy feast and dump it outside. I’m sure something will eat it.

I have found that SLX Alcohol works best. You can find it at Walmart, Lowes, HD or REI.

i have looked at that biolite stove a few times. theres also the power pot … though id like to have both, i dont really see it being a needed item. also you know in the next few years, they will have them being more efficient with higher output

I have one of these:-
http://www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/4994813393153721915?hl=en&site=webhp&q=kelly%20kettle&oq=kelly+kettle&gs_l=mobile-gws-hp.12…4949.11018.0.12873.14.12.0.2.2.0.0.0..0.0.les%3B..0.0…1ac.1.&sa=X&ei=caKmUIOgIsKLhQfmnYHYDA&ved=0CEkQ8wIwAg#hsec:overview

It’s no backpacking stove that’s for sure, but it boils a good litre of water in minutes on twigs, comes with a small pan and the bits to let you use it as a cooker and satisfies my inner pyromaniac.

As a day hike solution, it works as you can carry your brewing water in the kettle, and there’s enough water for at least four brews, all you need is some twigs, in England, the wise choice is a dry bag and carry a supply, or as I have done in the past, a few newspaper scrunchies do the job.

In warmer climes, pick your fuel up when you stop.

those kelly kettles are bad ass. such a simple concept, and works awsome

any one done any run times on there alcohol stoves? i got 7 min 19 sec on 1/2 oz of fuel. stove and alcohol were outside since last night and its 37 out right now… so cold start, and that 1/2 oz included the prime fuel. this was my pressure jet beer can stove. ill try it with my open jet beer can stove later see what times that one gets on 1/2 oz fuel.

just kind of curious

also, lets see some homebrew pix

The Backcountry Boiler I mentioned is a lightweight backpacking variant of the Kelly Kettle.

i dont know why i didnt look at that. out of my price range right, but that thing is sweet.

tested using 1/2 oz of alcohol.

silver one 7:19
short one 8:27

not sure why, im sure theres a lot of factors in play. but i figured the short one would have heated up and vaporized the alcohol faster. both were made exactly the same, except i reamed out the fill hole too much on the short one and cant use a thumb screw, have to use a coin to block the fill hole

edit: temp is now 32, so maybe thats one factor for the longer run time

I spent almost a month in iceland this summer, cycling and wildcamping most of the time. I wanted to travel ultralight and on a budget, so the homemade stove was a must, and it really paid off. No moving parts, no fancy things, therefore extremely reliable. Mine got a lot of bumps but it survived and still working. It is the model made of heineken cans, but since it’s so light (under 20 grs.), I took a smaller one as backup, made with redbull cans. Another advantage is that they’re so small i could pack them inside the steel mugs we used for eating and drinking. Had i used a wood one, i’d be dead from starvation… :wink: I don’t like gas burners either, because they’re bulkier, and have higher fail rates (and it’s not always easy to know calculate how much fuel is left, or to find spare cartridges depending on where you are.
Ethanol is my choice for fuel . less soot than other stuff i used. Plus, you only need to carry a tiny amount of fuel if you’re travelling alone or for a short time. Plus, once you make the first one, you are able to make a new one on the track, using just a multitool, or knife and those cans that lay around. Plus… i love it!
:bigsmile:

any links to homemade alcohol can stove instructions?
using a multi-tool to convert a can to stove sounds interesting.

oh, I see the alu bottle link now…

check out that link too.

I did a lot of research and the best and most comprehensive page i found is this one: http://www.jureystudio.com/pennystove/

just got my trangia mini kit, very slightly used for $25 shipped… this thing burns good. puts all the ones i made to shame.
boiled some water on it already, and think ill heat some beans and fry an egg on it later. know these alcohol stoves are mainly for boiling water… but gotta try it

The homemade pop can stoves are great fun to build for sure (also made several with mixed results) but since they are less fuel efficient than a traniga they will burn off the weight difference rather quickly. You get lowered reliability and have to carry more fuel … thats why I never really saw the point in using them. A titanium version of the trangia stove would be the best of two worlds, but they are a bit too pricy to save 70 or so grams in the backpack

the evernew burner is titanium, and pretty damn close to a trangia clone. doesnt have a cap though. like you said, it is pricey. i think i have seen them on ebay for a bit under $50, for just the burner

Alcohol as a fuel is good all around, and dont forget that they are not limited to denatured camping alcohol. I mainly burn 96% medical alcohol in them, a lot easier to find in off grid countries, and a lot cheaper. Trangias are useful for more than boiling water as well, it is possible to use them as your single means for preparing food.

i dug out my 1975 coleman 425E stove yesterday while i was at my dads. the generator and all was gummed/clogged up. so i drained the years old fuel, filled it with acetone, and pressured it up and ran it through the system. to my surprise it ran on it. i ran it about 10 mins on acetone. it actually ran pretty decent on it, and it actually ran much better afterwards.

but if it will run on acetone, i imagine it will run on alcohol. not sure how the seals, pacing and all will like it, but i may have to try.

Did you get the simmering ring in your kit? I got mine used on ebay minus the ring so I haven’t actually used one. It looks handy and seems to work from everything I’ve heard.

I did, but haven’t used it yet. Only thing wrong with my kit is on the aluminum pot stand, it has 4 tabs that bend, one was broken off. I think they are just to hold the burner in center, and not really needed